


Waves of Contrast

by Shinocchi



Series: Same Heart; Different Universe [11]
Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Anal Sex, Character Development, Illustrations, M/M, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-25 21:43:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4977613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinocchi/pseuds/Shinocchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sea was one place where many lost souls attempt to find a home. With the intention to escape relentless routine and unresolved societal struggles, Aoba resented to a path of no return, ending up on the sea with hope to seek for refuge. But little did he know that meeting an immature new Captain of an opposing pirate group would help him regain a new definition of "home".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Waves of Contrast

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a Tumblr-only story but it ended up too huge so I have no choice but to post it here instead. Illustration is also a first attempt of mine to draw out the image in my head. This idea is an example of an idea that has a multi-chapter potential but unfortunately, I didn't have time to cater to this alongside the other multiple multi-chapter ideas I have to work with. But hey, at least it's up as a one-shot! :D It has a lot of illustration potentials though _(:3/L
> 
> p/s: Aoba's development in this fic is from Desire to Reason, if referred to DMMd context. So it can be read as Noiz/Desire or Noiz/Reason, nevertheless, still NoiAo! :D
> 
> Lastly, enjoy reading and thanks for reading! :D

 

Pirates were nothing unusual in this very century, where the affluent overpowered the underprivileged, where justice was worth less than a person’s life. Many would try not to choose the sea as a transportation route; especially merchants. The likelihood of meeting pirates was high, even higher than the possibility to run into an unpleasant weather. When one chance upon a pack of pirates, all they could do was pray that the pirates they come across were merely ones who were after their fortune, not their lives. It was a period of survival of the fittest; an age where pirates were born out of the life many had succumbed to upon acknowledging that the sky won’t stay raining gold if they were to sit around and wait. Pirates, as many come to know, were people who were forced into a path of no return – one that they needed to surrender to just so they could survive.

But, as with many occasions, there was also an exception – where some _choose_ to become pirates, simply because of a reason that was wholly personal, even ridiculous.

”Captain! Captain!”

“So noisy… What is it?”

The pirate lifted himself off his bed, rubbing one eye with a knuckle, frowning as the knocks on his door became hasty with every passing second.

“We’re under attack!”

“Heh.”

He stood up, took leisure steps towards the cabin door and pulled it open, just to be greeted by a panic-looking sailor.

“So? Who’s attacking us?” he asked slothfully, eyes brightening when the tautness in the sailor’s gaze discernibly tensed up upon hearing the question. “Is it _him_?” he asked with intense enthusiasm.

“H-him?” the sailor repeated.

“I’m asking you who’s attacking us, didn’t you hear?”

“I-it’s the Red Dragon!”

“Tch.”

Clicking his tongue, the Captain moved back into his room, letting out a yawn before he was about to close the door in the man’s face, just to be vehemently pushed open again.

“Captain! Aren’t you going out?”

“Not interested,” he said indolently.

“But—“

With a stern stare, the Captain shushed the other effortlessly, earning himself a mute whimper before he turned around, coming face-to-face with the subordinate.

“Rule number 1 – only wake me up if it’s something serious.”

“But… we’re under attack, Captain…”

“ _Rule number 2_ ,” the Captain intensified his voice on purpose, giving the sailor a playful smirk before he continued. “ _Never_ speak back to me. Go and find Koujaku, he’ll know what to do.”

“Captain!” the sailor called out before he could slam the door shut. With a gap showing only the sailor’s eye, he continued, “May I ask… what is considered as ‘something serious’?”

He paused. He knew the answer, but spelling it out seemed to be a task too impossible for him as he merely let out a sneer, then closing the door, without giving the sailor the answer he needed.

As Aoba lay on his bed, he stared vacuously at the ceiling, contemplating the question the sailor had thrown at him. It didn’t take him too long to discover the answer, either. The moment the answer came to his mind, his heart skipped a beat, urging him to close his eyes. It had been three days since he last seen _him_ and occasionally, he’d wonder if he was killed somewhere or if he had decided to go back up shore. Whatever _he_ was to do, Aoba knew that it was none of his business anyway – they never exchanged promises, and all Aoba knew about him was the Captain of one of the most horrendous pirate packs in the same sea region he was in. _Noiz_ was a name even pirates were horrified of, let alone commoners who sailed pass this region with the mere hope that they would be blessed by luck throughout their traveling period. Aoba wasn’t interested in money at all, killing people was the last thing he wanted to do. All he ever wanted was the tinge of excitement that always coursed through his veins whenever he plunged his head into warzone, where conflicts and _fear_ took place. Five years on the sea had slowly but surely worn him out. As soon as he was thinking about finding for something else to interest his insatiable need for constant pleasure, _he_ appeared – one pirate with a small group of people attempting to attack _his_ ship in the middle of nowhere.

Aoba never knew about this new person. But he was good, Aoba had to admit this much. Pirates attacking pirates was nothing new. Fresh threats would appear once in a while and it was just part of a survival strategy to eradicate the other before they could become a menace for real. This new group of pirates must have a great deal of nerves, Aoba concluded when his co-Captain, Koujaku, informed him about their attackers. Finding it amusing, Aoba had decided to step his foot into the game himself, just to have a good look at the immature assailant.

The opposing Captain standing in front of him was one man that Aoba had never ever seen before in his entire life: he never knew who this person was – even when he told him his name, it rang no bells – and above all, he had never seen _anyone_ that looked so… foreign, so very much different from himself and every other person he had come to meet.

Noiz was good. His team was at a first-rate level and one quick observation told Aoba that sooner or later this group of pirates would come on the same par of level as him. Soon, they came to a draw, with Aoba _and_ Noiz standing and observing from the side line all the while. It didn’t matter if they were to lose. They had been experiencing dozens of victory in a row that it was starting to bore Aoba. But the moment they came to a draw and when Noiz finally opened his mouth to state his request after being soundless for the entire time, Aoba found his jaw drop.

“I want you to join our team,” was what Noiz said to him.

For a long while, the silence stretched, leaving them with nothing but the sound of sea waves hitting the bottom of their ship.

Then, Aoba laughed – a laugh that resounded loudly, cracking the unobtrusive night open as he took hurried steps towards Noiz. He stared. Noiz had an eye patch over his right eye but one eye was enough for Aoba to take a good look at his unworldly terrorist.

“Me? Joining your team?” he whispered towards Noiz’s face. “Me. Joining _your_ team,” he repeated, while the other merely stared back at him, his lime-green pair of eyes unreadable and cold. “Why do you think I would agree?”

“I never expect you to agree,” Noiz said, his voice equally emotionless as his expression, husky and deep. “As in why, I have what you need to keep your days entertained.”

Aoba didn’t quite understand what Noiz was putting forward. Letting out a sarcastic chuckle, he took a few steps back, gave Noiz another stare before he pulled his dagger out, the same time as Noiz pulling his shotgun out from his coat.

“I won’t join you,” Aoba said, completely blunt. “How about you join me instead?”

Noiz’s curved the corners of his lips just a tad higher before he responded.

“I only want to defeat you.”

Oh, so that’s what he _really_ wants then, Aoba pondered. Mirroring his opponent’s smirk, he held his dagger higher, aiming unswervingly at Noiz’s face.

“Try me.”

He heard the sound of gunshot, heard the sound of someone calling his name, and before he knew it, he was already mere inches away from Noiz, his dagger resting against Noiz’s neck, Noiz’s gun aiming directly at his chest.

“Well?” he whispered, the smirk still evident on his face. “Kill me then. Grant your own wish.”

But all Noiz did was let out a click of tongue before he pulled his distance apart, Aoba’s slight push of his blade successfully draw a thin trail of blood on his neck.

“Come and find me if you change your mind.”

That was Noiz’s last words before he led his crew back to their own ship, one that Aoba immediately registered in his head with the green flag and what looked peculiarly like a rabbit-shaped crest.

“Aoba, are you okay?”

Aoba frowned. Nodding his head, he turned his back towards Koujaku, heading straight back to his own cabin before he crashed on his bed, the incidence repeating unendingly in his head.

 

Ever since then, the ship with the green crest was always seen hanging around Aoba’s ship. It didn’t create too much of a hindrance to Aoba. Whenever he found them nearby, he’d sit on the deck and stared at the ship, just to see Noiz doing the same. There weren’t any words between them, no nonverbal communication – nothing at all. Never had he encountered a pirate who had the guts to confront him in such an upfront way. Noiz’s actions kept him in reverence, but he was more curious than anything else. Noiz seemed like he had something else he wanted to say to Aoba but for some reason, he’d never made any attempt to reach out to him ever since he’d proclaimed his intention during the first time they met.

Aoba wasn’t an easy-going person, especially not when it came to the opportunity for a new source of entertainment. Well, having Noiz as a new presence and spending time gazing at Noiz from afar seemed like a new entertainment of its own but Aoba was yearning for _more_ – something that would give him a sort of intensity that he had never experienced before.

So, one night after he successfully side-stepped Koujaku’s apprehensive surveillance, he sneaked out of his cabin when the sky fell dark,  making his way towards where emergency boats were kept and sailed his way out of the ship, away from his team.

He was surprised with his own decision. This might potentially cost him his life but that was the last of his concern now. All he wanted was for Noiz to answer the million questions in his head.

Noiz seemed to be expecting him, though. As Aoba was searching for a place to enter, one of the doors opened, revealing Noiz, who stood and leaned against the wall, arms crossed and yet again with an impassive expression on his face.

“Knew you’d come,” he said when Aoba rowed nearer towards him. “Changed your mind?”

“Like Hell I would,” Aoba said. Supporting himself up and brushing Noiz’s helping hand away as he did, he made his way towards the new pirate group’s ship, looking around before he finally turned his attention to Noiz. “I need answers.”

Noiz gave him the same smirk he’d given him on their first encounter. Without another word, he turned his back towards Aoba, moving his way into the ship while Aoba followed him from behind.

“You didn’t even consider to stripe yourself off your Captain attire before you came,” Noiz remarked, looking over his shoulder to see Aoba glancing around the place.

“Is it necessary?”

“You aren’t afraid of death.”

“You won’t kill me.”

“But my people would.”

Aoba grinned then. “You would stop them.”

Noiz stopped. Turning around to face Aoba, he asked, “How are you so sure about it?”

Aoba stopped too. Returning a penetrating gaze, his answer was one that sounded too ambiguous for Noiz’s preference.

“It’s a hunch.”

They continued working along the corridor without another word. As they moved toward the end of the ship, Noiz stopped in front of a cabin, took a final look around before he pushed the cabin door open, revealing a small and empty room.

“Is this where you sleep?” Aoba asked, stepping into the room after Noiz.

He took Noiz’s silence as a yes. Sitting on the bed, he examined the space – there was barely anything in the room; it definitely looked like a place where the occupant merely come and sleep, nothing but that.

“So, you wanted answers,” Noiz broke the silence. When Aoba looked at him, he was sitting on a couch by a corner of the room, fingers crossed and hands covering his mouth.

“Uhuh,” Aoba confirmed. “Why _me_?”

There was no need to make complicated turns either. He didn’t risk his life here to play word games with another Captain.

“You’re a long-time leader of this sea.”

It seemed like they were on the same wavelength after all. Noiz’s answer was honest and clear-cut. It made sense. Truth be told, Aoba had been expecting attacks from other groups of pirates especially knowing how threatening his own position was. Five years on the sea had given him the upper hand of experience. But that wasn’t what that had safeguarded his “ruler” position for years now – it was how fearless and how cruel he could be when it came to terminating others. It was as if he was never afraid of death, that everything was simply a game for him.

When he first met Noiz, this young pirate had given him the exact same impression. He didn’t even flinch when Aoba had his blade against his neck, his life would be taken away just like with just one skilful swipe. He was sure that he was portraying the similar fearless expression when Noiz had his gun held against his chest as well.

He wasn’t terrified of death; rather, he was more horrified by having to live a life of boredom especially when he had escaped from his home just to seek for an extra dosage of thrill.

“And will be as long as I live,” Aoba responded after long last.

He had no intention to surrender. He had yet to discover more of the sea and now that Noiz had intruded his life, he had another extra reason to persist on the vast of the sea he called his territory then.

“Join my team,” Noiz said, provoking a frown out of Aoba.

“Do you think that having me join your team would make _you_ the next ruler of the sea? Like I said, I _am_ the ruler as long as I live.”

Noiz kept quiet. Aoba could vaguely make out his expression from the limited moonlight they had in the small space. He was about to say something but Noiz let out a hum then, standing up and joining Aoba to sit on the bed.

“I have everything you need here,” he mumbled ardently into Aoba’s face.

“How do _you_ know what I need?” Aoba whispered with equal hotness back at Noiz, both of them smirking, both of them knew deep inside that they were chasing after each other’s tail.

“I know everything about you, Seragaki Aoba.”

 _That_ took Aoba in astonishment. No one ever knew about his real name, no one except Koujaku, who’d accompanied him to the sea from his hometown. He was about to pull back when Noiz grasped his wrist, pulling him towards him instead.

“Don’t run away.” Noiz’s voice was deep and treacherous, but yet enthralling all at the same time. Aoba struggled but he was no match for Noiz’s strength and all he could do was give Noiz an intense gaze that was threatening him to let him go.

“I _will not_ join you,” Aoba gritted through his teeth. “Kill me now or let me go and I’ll continue crowning the most influential throne on this ocean.”

He probably shouldn’t do that. His words could possibly be a dangerous trigger to Noiz’s impulse. But it was too late for him to take that back anyway. Bracing for the worst, he stopped his futile struggle, feeling the tip of his fingers tremble ever so slightly when Noiz inched closer. And closer.

He didn’t know what happened, his mind swept blank the moment he felt the soft and warm sensation on his lips. It was just a brief kiss but it pushed Aoba into a state of mild confusion. For a long time, he could only stare at Noiz, completely awestruck at what the other just did.

“Wh-what…” he started, heat pooling on his cheeks, the extraneous sensation still very much palpable on his lips.

He tried to calm his rapid mind down, didn’t even notice when Noiz had already let him go. Eyes fixed on the other, he saw Noiz licking his lips, then his smirk broadened, before he muttered _one word_ that had Aoba pushing him away and storming out of his room.

“ _Cute_.”

 

 _Never_ in his life had he been disgraced in such way. He had people beating him into a pulp before; he had faced unreasonable people who demanded for his money and body before. But _never_ in his life had he been so mortified to the extent that he’d literally escaped the scene just because he didn’t know how to react. That was absolutely _not_ what he expected when he decided to sneak his way into Noiz’s ship. When he returned, he was faced with a Koujaku, who stood, crossed-arm, at the entrance to their ship. He couldn’t remember very much about what Koujaku was preaching him about – probably something about not doing things in such a reckless way again – and all that was in his mind was that _one_ action Noiz had done on him. When he was once again alone in the space of his own room, he lifted his hand, unconsciously touching the spot where Noiz had kissed him before he shook his head vigorously, then rubbing his lips in such a vehement way that he was sure that his lips were pouty red now.

 _No one_ had ever dared to cross his line before.

Instead of getting more questions answered, now Aoba landed himself with _more_ questions instead.

This was certainly not the last time he’d face Noiz again.

 

As expected, he found himself sneaking his way out of his ship again in the following night. And again, as anticipated, Noiz was already standing at the same spot where he’d greeted Aoba the previous night when Aoba rowed his way to where he remembered the entrance to be. Without another word, he supported himself up to the ship, making his way down the corridor like it was the most natural thing to do and only stopped in front of the room which he recalled as Noiz’s cabin.

“What brings you here this time?” Noiz asked the moment he closed the door behind him.

“Why did you do that?” Aoba asked. He hadn’t been able to sleep for the entire night, his mind filled with nothing but Noiz’s purposeful action and he wanted Noiz to take responsibility for it.

“What did I do?”

“What you did yesterday.”

He couldn’t bring himself to be clearer than this. Noiz’s indifference annoyed him to no end. He _knew_ that Noiz _knew_ exactly what he was talking about but yet, here he was, attempting to push his endurance limit, as if he was trying to lure something out of Aoba – something that Aoba had no clue of. He’d met countless people before – friends and foes – but this was the only time he’d met a person that he couldn’t identify as a comrade or rival. It scared him, but he was in no way to retreat, let alone surrender. Swallowing down his throat, he elevated his voice, hoping that this would make his intention clear to Noiz.

“I need an answer,” he said, firm and garish.

“Why?”

“Wh…”

Why, though? he asked himself. It was just a kiss. But _why_ was he so insistent about it? Was it because it was Noiz? Or was it because _he_ wasn’t sure of what he wanted himself? His head was in a state of muddle and he hated feeling this way. He had been sure of himself for the rest of his life just to have a brat butting his way into his life and messing it up completely for him.

He would never forgive him.

“I need an answer,” he repeated, now sounding even more furious. Noiz closed his eyes, he didn’t seem like he was about to answer him either. Triggered, Aoba stood up from the bed, rushing directly towards Noiz and gripped him on the collar as he pushed him brutally against the wall.

“Why did you do that?” he growled. He was used to violence after all. If using physical assaults was the only way he could get his answer, then so be it.

Noiz stared right into his eyes – lime-green meeting light-brown. Aoba’s clutch shuddered. He _hated_ this. He _hated_ not getting anything answered.

Then, Noiz placed a hand on Aoba’s hand on his collar, pushing it away and grasping Aoba’s hand instead.

“Why didn’t you kill me…” Aoba muttered, unsure if he was asking Noiz or if he was pointing the question at himself.

“Do you want to die?” Noiz finally spoke, albeit wasn’t the response Aoba wanted to hear.

“I don’t mind,” Aoba answered in a matter-of-fact tone, his eyes averting Noiz’s.

“Don’t you have a home?” Noiz asked again.

“I ran away from home.”

Silence again. This was it – he was ruined by a damn brat and he hadn’t even tried anything at all. This was beyond pathetic.

“Me too.”

Never in his life had he been so connected with someone else, let alone a person who was supposed to be his utmost enemy. As Noiz leaned towards him and caught him in an agitated kiss again – this time, with Aoba returning the gesture with equal fervour – he suddenly understood what that vague light he’d spotted in Noiz’s eye was when they first secured gaze on each other –

\-- it was the same light he saw in his own eyes when he looked at himself in the mirror: one that spelt of loneliness and unwanted.

 

He never gotten the answer he needed after all. But, despite knowing that he would never get his answers no matter how many times he tried, he unrelentingly returned to Noiz’s ship every time he found the chance. Every now and then, Noiz’s ship would vanish from his sight, which he presumed that they’d gone off for expedition somewhere else. But no matter how long they departed away, they’d return to where Aoba’s ship always rest at the end of the day. Aoba was no longer interested in hunting. Leaving the job to Koujaku, he spent most of the time staring out of the window. From time to time, he’d join in a few card games on the deck, where he could get a good view of Noiz’s ship. But other than that, he also spent a lot of time in his own room, where he could immerse himself in unobtrusive privacy as he filled his head with thoughts about the young pirate.

There were a lot of things that he had yet to know about the pirate, but the pirate seemed to know everything about him. It was an unfair game; but yet, Aoba was startled to find himself couldn’t care less about it. It might possibly be a trap, as Koujaku had thoughtfully told him when he discovered how Aoba had been sneaking out almost every night. But at the end of the day, Aoba was, after all, the _Captain_ of this ship. He made his own rules, and despite Koujaku’s very concerned advice, he only gave the other a pat on the shoulder and a meek ‘don’t worry, I know what I am doing’, dismissing him just like that. He knew that the probability was there, but he had never been feeling so connected with anyone else like he did with Noiz and if he could, he’d want to embrace this feeling and this moment now; for he’d never know when he’d drop dead anyway, just like any other nomadic life on the sea.

 

It didn’t take too long for them to take their mutual desire into the next level. Now and then, Aoba pondered if he was being overly emotionally involved, or if he was simply letting his guard down way too much. But every time he was to see Noiz, there was just _something_ about him that would draw him unconsciously towards him. And before he knew it, he’d feel the impulse to _touch_ him, to _feel_ him, and in due course, to be so much more connected to him, way more than they already were.

Noiz wasn’t a man with a lot of words either. So, body language eventually became the best communication tool between them. The first time they made love in Noiz’s cabin was after a severe dispute that ended up with Aoba being pinned harshly against the wall, hot breath and rough suck raining down on him and all that he could do was cling onto Noiz, wrapping his arms around the other as he felt his garments being impatiently striped off.

He thought this was _really_ the end then. Probably he’d flipped a switch so hazardous he’d finally step into the final trap this shrewd fox had set up for him. But when Aoba was completely shirtless and laid down on the bed by Noiz, Noiz stopped, his eyes distracted and his mind seemed to have wandered elsewhere.

“Why do you trust me?” Noiz had asked, answering the wavering light in his eyes. “You could’ve pulled your dagger out, you could’ve killed me, you could’ve pushed me away, right now.”

“But I don’t want to,” Aoba confessed. He didn’t know what had made him do this but whenever he was faced with Noiz, he would feel the all-too familiar squeeze in his heart that reminded him of how lost he once was, a _him_ that ultimately led him into stepping onto a road of no return.

“Why?”

It didn’t take too long for Aoba to notice that this was Noiz’s favourite question. Now that he was cleared off his Captain wear, he looked nothing like the vicious and menacing pirate Aoba had first met when Noiz intruded his ship. Rather, he looked exactly like _himself_ when he stared at his own reflection in the mirror five years back when he sworn to proceed with a pirate route and defeat all the strong pirate groups in this region. He felt as if he was looking at a past that he had long moved on. But above all, as he enveloped his hands around Noiz’s neck, all he could feel was how young and how immature this _Captain_ was.

He didn’t belong to the sea; none of them were. But circumstances had pushed them into this path and all they could do now was struggle to survive by stepping on others’ corpse. He knew that feeling all too well – and he could see that in Noiz’s eyes every time he caught sight of the prevailing lime-green orb.

“Noiz,” he called out. While Noiz turned to look at him, he traced a finger along the edge of Noiz’s eye patch before he let out a smile, catching Noiz off guard. “Can I?”

It was something he’d wondered for a very long time. Why did Noiz wear an eye patch on his right eye? Was it done to uphold his Captain status? Or did he have anything to hide from the public eye?

Noiz didn’t respond. Taking that as a yes, Aoba gently pulled the string loose, allowing the soft cloth material to fall on the bed with a small thump.

There was nothing wrong with Noiz’s eyes. Beneath the intimidating smirk he’d usually wear when Aoba directed him with an equally menacing grin was a layer of compassion that contrasted profoundly with the hefty mask of responsibility.

Both of them were Captains; both of them were leading a life that seemed lavish from the outside eyes. But only both of them knew how heavy the weight of burden was beneath their chests.

Supporting himself up with his elbow, Aoba lurched forward and kissed the young Captain, ardently and ravenously, until Noiz returned his want that he let his pace slow down. He knew this feeling all too well – the feeling that exposing weakness and even a tiny hint of sympathy was forbidden on a pirate ship, and the craving to _feel_ someone’s passion that could reach the deepest of one’s soul.

He never understood why he was so tenacious with Noiz, or why Noiz was so persistent with him. But as they exchanged body warmth, the truth finally dawned upon him – it was precisely that they were _so similar_ that they were _craving_ for each other’s acceptance.

The kiss was long and desperate. When they finally separated their lips, Aoba gave Noiz a small smile, feeling his heart skip a beat when Noiz returned with one genuine smile of his own. He looked _nothing_ like a Captain at this very moment – all Aoba was looking at was a young kid who was searching for a world of his own, and in the process, searching for himself all at the same time.

When he felt Noiz’s kiss on his neck, he let out a kneejerk chuckle, causing Noiz to look up at him.

“S-sorry, tickles,” he apologized. Charmed, Noiz continued sucking on the same spot, rough and hard.

“W-wait! Don’t leave marks.”

“What is it? Afraid that your followers would see it?”

Aoba scowled. “It’s not appropriate.”

“Doing this with a Captain who’s supposed to be your enemy isn’t appropriate either,” Noiz tormented. “Let me do it, Aoba. Let me do it to the end.”

Calling him by his name was a dirty cheat. Noiz had never once called his name besides the one time when he’d reminded Aoba of his real name. The way he’d called his name sounded so needy and gentle that Aoba couldn’t help but allow himself to be pulled into the very seductive pool of emotions that Noiz was giving him right now.

Noiz was serious about it. He tasted every inch of Aoba’s skin, sucking sporadically just to gauge Aoba’s reaction, leaving marks after marks on obvious and unobvious spots.

Never in his life had he been feeling such intense warmth and passion before. He could physically and emotionally feel how much Noiz wanted him, and how much he wanted to be _connected_ to him. But yet, despite portraying such palpable desperate deprivation towards Aoba, Noiz remained gentle with him, checking on him once a while to make sure that he was still doing okay.

“You… don’t need to do this,” Aoba said after the umpteenth time when Noiz looked up to ask him if he was still doing fine with his eyes. “Just… do whatever you want to do.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Says the person who held a gun against my chest when we first met.” Aoba chortled.

“I never wanted to kill you,” Noiz admitted, sinking himself downwards and positioning himself in between Aoba’s thighs.

“So why did you…”

Noiz kissed his inner thighs, leaving small marks on Aoba’s fair skin and beaming at the bruise he’d created. “Rather,” he continued, prudently holding Aoba’s half-hard dick in his hand. “I was hoping for you to kill me.”

“Wh—ah!”

At that exact moment, Noiz took the whole of Aoba’s dick into his mouth, sucking stridently on it while Aoba grasped tightly on the mattress, attempting to sustain his moans.

Noiz rolled his tongue around the head of Aoba’s dick, licking the slit clean whenever it started leaking precum. The hesitations long put aside, Aoba casted his eyes away, dreadfully trying to find a distraction that could avert him away from losing himself in this powerful lust.

The first thing that seized his attention were the stars outside the opened window of Noiz’s cabin. The sky was dusky, the moon shone luminously in a distance, complemented by scattered stars. He used to spend a lot of time on the deck of his own ship when he started to be sceptical towards his life direction. But now that this very same visual invaded his line of sight, he felt a whole new emotions bubbling from within him – he no longer felt lonely, but he was treasured, and very contented all at once.

It was when Noiz took in the whole of his dick into his mouth, the head hitting the back of his throat that he arched his back, cumming abruptly right down Noiz’s throat. His fingertips were numb from clutching too hard on the mattress, tears streamed out of the corner of his eyes as choked moans escaped his lips. His body was soaked in an impulsive intense wave of passion that had his mind smeared blank for a few seconds. He didn’t even anticipate himself to cum so fast; or else, he’d cautioned Noiz about it. But obviously, his body seemed to have a better plan for him as he waited for the intensity to subside with his eyes closed.

“That was fast,” Noiz commented. When Aoba turned a glazy pair of eyes at him, he could vaguely see Noiz’s Adam Apple bobbing up and down as he wiped the corner of his lip with his thumb.

“Did you… drink it?” he asked with bated breath.

Noiz nodded. “Taste bitter.”

“No one asked you to drink it,” Aoba pouted. He could feel warmth returning to his cheeks but Noiz didn’t seem like he was about to give Aoba time to rest either. Positioning himself once again, he gripped onto Aoba’s waist, causing Aoba to stare dumbfounded at him before he rubbed a few times on his own already rock-hard dick.

“W-wait, are you going to… No, no, I just came, it’s too muc—ah…”

“But your body says otherwise,” Noiz said with a smirk. “Look.”

Truthfully, Aoba didn’t need to stare at his own dick to know that it’d just regained life. Feeling tremendously agitated, he covered his face with both of his hands, no longer having the courage to face his own honest physiological reactions.

“Ready?”

He would rather Noiz didn’t ask him. But Noiz didn’t seem like he was waiting for an answer either. With one solid thrust, he pushed himself all the way into Aoba, sweat dripping down his cheek, his chin and ultimately on Aoba’s body as he pushed himself in, unhurriedly and steadily.

“Does it hurt?” he asked.

Aoba shook his head. It hurt, but it didn’t hurt too much to the extent that Aoba couldn’t take it. Noiz had prepared him well after all; he could still feel the impact of having two fingers in him while Noiz was giving him head earlier. With a deep breath, he let his body relax, then opening his eyes just to smile at Noiz.

“Come here.”

He couldn’t quite remember when the last time was when had he felt such an aggressive impact in his body either. Noiz’s heat was extremely seductive, his dick rubbed along his inner walls, giving his insides frictions so strong that Aoba was sure that he was being rubbed raw. He wanted to stretch himself further but he was no match to Noiz’s rhythm. By the time his dick was hard again, he was already letting out gaudy moans that he was no longer able to endure. He could think of nothing but more, _more_ of Noiz’s warmth, _more_ of Noiz’s passion, _more_ of Noiz genuine want towards him.

“Noiz…” His voice cracked at the end. There was a huge surge of emotions from within him that he desperately wanted to let out. It was suffocating him, it was pushing him to the limit. But he didn’t want it to end now – _not now_.

“Noiz…” he called again. When their eyes met, he could see how vicious Noiz’s stare was, as if savaging his body wasn’t enough and now he needed to devour the entirety of his soul as well to satiate his bottomless desire. “More.”

A frown appeared in between Noiz’s eyebrows. Adjusting their positions, Noiz supported Aoba up, having the whole of Aoba’s weight to fall on his dick as he thrust upwards, hitting a deep end that he wasn’t able to hit earlier.

“Noiz, Noiz.”

Noiz’s name was all that Aoba could say as they sank in ecstasy. Then, he felt it again, the tight squeeze in his heart. He wanted to be with Noiz. He wanted to accept Noiz, for whoever he was, and he wanted Noiz to accept him. No, to _continue_ accepting him, despite already knowing everything about him.

But…

“Aoba, stay on the sea,” Noiz muttered into his ear.

Had Noiz already noticed his intention, and that was why he was doing this? Aoba wondered in between thrusts. Did Noiz do all of these just so he could mark Aoba as _his_?

“Noiz…” Aoba muttered. Cupping his face, he kissed him again, tears rolling down his cheeks as he did. He didn’t manage to find the courage to tell Noiz what he had on his mind. So instead, he merely allow his body to do the job for him.

And he didn’t tell Noiz what Noiz wanted to know as well after they’d both reached completion. Even when he left quietly once he confirmed that Noiz was already soundly asleep, he never brought himself to tell Noiz anything Noiz wanted to hear either, only leaving behind a note that read:-

 

 

> “ _Go home, Noiz. The sea is not for you._ ”

 

The news of Aoba’s withdrawal from the sea came as a shock to many. As Noiz gazed at the empty distance where Aoba’s ship used to be, he frowned, the note crumpled in his firm fist.

He’d known about Aoba’s intention from a spy he’d located as part of Aoba’s crew for a long time. All this while, he had been waiting for Aoba to spill the beans at him. But the wait was too long. He thought Aoba would eventually tell him, but at the end of the day, Aoba decided to make a discreet move, leaving him with only a message that he had already long known.

If Aoba could make his own decision in such an hasty way, then _he_ can too.

Turning away from the sea, he took swift paces towards the deck, where he’d assembled all of his ship crews.

 

It was a year after Aoba had retreated from the sea. Returning to where he escaped from, he now found himself a stable job in a junk shop. He once found this kind of life redundant, but merely two years into the life of a sea had made him deliberate that leaving home might not be the right decision for him after all. He still had his own uncertainties, but meeting Noiz had accelerated his thoughts. Noiz reminded him so excruciatingly of himself that every time he was to meet him it reminded him of all the things he’d left behind when he left home – his grandmother, his brother, his redundant yet peaceful life. Sure, life as a normal citizen was still full of struggles. Injustice was still part of their daily routine; lack of resources and money was still part of his daily apprehensions. But he had a home to return to now, unlike when he was on the sea, when he was just another wandering soul whom was searching for a direction.

His answer was here all along. Perhaps he really needed the experience to tell him how lucky he was to still own a place he could call home. Perhaps he had finally gone out of his rebellious age; perhaps he had finally seen enough of the world.

 _Here_ , in Japan, was where he truly belonged, with his family.

But yet, even after he’d made the resolution to come home, he could clearly feel that something was missing in him. Something was not quite right. He thought he’d settled his unresolved matters on the sea once and for all. He was no longer a Captain; he was now just another citizen in Japan. He missed the days on the sea, sure. He missed it when people would run to him in a hysterical manner and tell him that they were being attacked again. But above all, he missed…

His eyes brightened. He missed the immense heartbeats he’d experienced beneath his chest when he saw the familiar ship in a distance. He missed teasing a young Captain to the extent that the other would give him a stern stare that looked as if he was about to pull his shot gun out and exterminate him there once and for all. He missed being the rebellious kid he once was. He missed being a leader.

He missed…

Slapping his face with both of his hands, he slumped on the counter of the shop he was working him, trying to distract himself from the unnecessary thoughts again.

He’d chosen to return, this was his own decision and there was no way he should regret it. Like how he’d chosen to be a pirate years back, he’d chosen to return – to _home_ – after going through the tough experience.

But… was this _really_ home?

Before he could answer himself, the bell on top of the shop’s door rang and he sprung up from his seat, immediately putting a smile on his face, one intuitive gesture he’d come to master.

“Welcome to Junk Sho—“

He left his words hanging in mid-air. The person who’d just walked into the shop looked shockingly familiar – blond-haired, lime-green pair of eyes. He looked just like… But it couldn’t be. _He_ should be on the sea right now, embracing the “ruler” title he so very much wanted. Aoba had literally handed the throne over to him. There was _no way_ he’d abandoned that lifelong wish now.

“You…” he gaped, still trying to find the right words. Calm down, he told himself. This is just another customer.

The constant reassertion in his head was cut off when the said man walked towards the counter. He was in casual wear, no long pirate suit, no big hat with beautiful decorations, no knee-length leather boots, and no shotgun hidden beneath his shirt that declared him as a Captain, or as a pirate.

“Long time no see, Captain.”

He remembered his voice. Feeling his voice trapped in his throat, Aoba stared awkwardly at the man, his heart beating deafeningly in his ears.

He _knew_ this face, he _knew_ this voice, and he _knew_ this smirk. Everything felt like a distant memory for him. His pirate life felt as if it was a past life he’d remembered over in his sleep, like a dream. But here, right in front of him, stood a man that reminded him of that short yet most alive period of time he’d spent being a pirate.

It was far-fetched; but it was _real_.

“Wh-why are you here?” he finally spoke.

“You asked me to go home,” Noiz said with a smirk. He had come right to where Aoba was standing now, staring Aoba right in the eyes. He no longer wore an eye patch, and now, Aoba could make out _both_ of his lime-green eyes perfectly, completely unconcealed.

“Yeah, so go home. Go back to the sea.”

“But you asked me to stay away from the sea.”

Truth be told, Aoba was confused himself when he’d left Noiz the message. He wanted Noiz to leave the sea, knowing that the unstable sea life wasn’t for him. But another half of him wanted Noiz to grasp what he always wanted – and that was the title of “ruler” on the sea.

“That’s why I’m here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Here,” Noiz said, leaning forwards and coming _so close_ to Aoba that the tip of their noses were touching before he continued. “…is my home.”

The kiss was nostalgic. It was the warmth that Aoba yearned for, the passion that filled his void. Returning his kiss, Aoba felt hotness behind his eyes.

It took him years but he’d finally come to understand this – home wasn’t a physical location, home was where one’s heart craved to be. The sea had been Aoba’s home for the longest time ever; he thought the sea was what that was able to fill his the hollowness in his heart when he was stuck in a situation where they relentlessly ached from insufficient resources to meet every day’s ends. When he decided to return, he thought that his family was where home was, that Japan, his home country, was his real home and that it was time to leave his rebellious age behind just so he could move forward with his own life.

But he was wrong. It took him few years, one extraordinary experience, and _one_ fateful encounter but he finally found the answer to his self-discovery journey.

 _Home_ was where one could genuinely rely on when times got too hard; _Home_ was where his questions were all answered; and _home_ was where he was accepted, entirely, and where he could entrust himself wholly for the rest for his life.

And for him, his home was _Noiz_ , and he knew Noiz was the same as well – for he had abandoned a route that suggested him of nothing but grandeur on the sea and chosen to return home, to _Aoba_.

 


End file.
